Chapter 52 of 52 · 8400 words · ~42 min read

CHAPTER XXVI

ODDS AND ENDS.

“And our poor dream of happiness Vanisheth, so Farewell.”——MOTHERWELL.

After a feast, the prudent and thrifty housewife will gather up the fragments that remain, if for no other purpose than to distribute them amongst the poor.

It was the constant habit of a certain elderly man of business, so long as he could stoop for the purpose, to pick up and stow away every pin and scrap of paper, or end of string, which he saw lying about on his premises. And when he could bend no longer to perform the operation himself, he would stand by the truant fragment, and vociferate loudly for one of his apprentices to come and “gather up the cord and string,” adding “’tis a pity they should spile.”

Approaching to the conclusion of our task, we have followed the old gentleman’s advice, and collected the odd pieces that have fallen to the ground in the course of our work, convinced that thrift is praiseworthy, and although only “Odds and Ends,” there may be enough of interest in them to warrant you in adding “’tis a pity they should spile.”

Tobacco ends in smoke. We began with the former, it is but a natural consequence that we should end with the latter. Somewhere we have read a “smoke vision of life.” Some people have but a smoky or foggy vision of life—they have sad eyes, poor travellers, and can see nothing for the fog that surrounds them—they live in a mist, and die without being missed. Forgive the transgression, good friend, the obscurity of the subject is to blame, and the pun was written before we had made ourselves aware of its presence. Let it pass on, it will soon be lost in the smoke. An old piper believes that there is generally something racy, decided, and original in the man who both smokes and snuffs. Outwardly, he may have a kippered appearance, and his voice may grate on the ear like a scrannel pipe of straw, but think of the strong or beautiful soul that body enshrines! Do you imagine, oh, lean-hearted member of the Anti-Snuff and Tobacco Club, that the dark apostle standing before us will preach with less power, less unction, less persuasive eloquence, because he snuffs over the psalm book, and smokes in the vestry between the forenoon and afternoon service? Does his piety ooze through his pipe, or his earnestness end in smoke? Was Robert Hall less eloquent than Massillon or Chalmers, because he could scarcely refrain from lighting his hookah in the pulpit? Answer us at your leisure—could Tennyson have brought down so magnificently the Arabian heaven upon his nights; dreamed so divinely of Cleopatra, Iphigenia, and Rosamond; pictured so richly the charmed sleep of the Eastern princess in her enchanted palace, with her “full black ringlets downward rolled;” or painted so soothingly the languid picture of the Lotos-eaters, if he had never experienced the mystic inspiration of tobacco? Could John Wilson—peace to his princely shade—have filled his inimitable papers with so much fine sentiment, radiant imagery, pathos, piquancy, and point, without the aid of his silver snuff-box? Deprive the Grants and Macgregors of their mulls and nose spoons of bone, and you cut the sinews of their strength—you destroy the flower of the British army. Pluck the calumet of peace from the lips of the red Indian, and in the twinkling of an eye your beautiful scalp will be dangling at his girdle. Tear his “gem adorned chibouque” from the mouth of the Turk, and the Great Bear by to-morrow’s dawn will be grinning on his haunches in Constantinople. Clear Germany of tobacco smoke, and Goethe would groan in his grave, Richter would revisit the glimpses of the moon, philology would fall down in a fatal fit of apoplexy over the folios of her fame, and poetry would shriek her death-shriek to see the transcendental philosophy expire. Shake the quids from the mouths of the merry mariners of England—cast their pig-tail upon the waters, and commerce would become stagnant in all our ports—our gallant war-fleet would rot at its stations, and Britain would never boast the glories of another Trafalgar. Tell Yankeedom that smoking is no more to be permitted all over the world, under penalty of death, and soon the melancholy pine forests would wave over the dust of an extinguished race. In fine, were the club to which you belong to succeed in its attempt, which it cannot, the earth would stand still, like the sun of old upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, and the planets would clothe themselves with sackcloth for the sudden death of their sister sphere!

There is extant, in an old work written three centuries since, a curious paragraph which we had well nigh forgotten. It refers to Canada. “There groweth a certain kind of herbe, whereof in summer they make great provision for all the yeere, and only the men use of it; and first they cause it to be dried in the sunne, then wear it about their neckes, wrapped in a little beaste’s skinne, made like a little bagge, with a hollow peece of stone or wood like a pipe; then, when they please, they make poudre of it, and then put it in one of the ends of the said cornet or pipe, and laying a coal of fire upon it, at the other end suck so long, that they fill their bodies full of smoke, till that it cometh out of their mouth and nostrils, even as out of the tonnell of a chimney.”

Methinks it had been well had every Canadian been also favoured with a Saint Betsy, as a companion in life, otherwise there had been fire as well as smoke. It is now some time since the inimitable _Punch_ introduced Saint Betsy to the world, and that she may not altogether be excluded from our future “fireside saints,” we will give her legend a place in our “Odds and Ends.”

“St. Betsy was wedded to a knight who sailed with Raleigh, and had brought home tobacco, and the knight smoked. But he thought that St. Betsy, like other fine ladies of the Court, would fain that he should smoke out of doors, nor taint with tobacco smoke the tapestry, whereupon the knight would seek his garden, his orchard, and, in any weather, smoke _sub Jove_. Now it chanced, as the knight smoked, St. Betsy came to him and said, ‘My lord, pray ye come into the house;’ and the knight went with St. Betsy, who took him into a newly cedared room, and said, ‘I pray my lord henceforth smoke here, for is it not a shame that you, who are the foundation and prop of your house, should have no place to put your head into and smoke?’ And St. Betsy led him to a chair, and with her own fingers filled him a pipe; and from that time the knight sat in the cedar chamber and smoked his weed.”

No pipe, no smoke, no dreams! Never again, on a beautiful summer’s day would two young Ottoman swains sit smoking under a tree, by the side of a purling stream, hearing the birds sing, and seeing the flowers in bloom, to become the actors in a scene like that described in one of their own songs. By and bye came a young damsel, her eyes like two stars in the nights of the Ramazan. One of the swains takes his pipe from his mouth, and “sighing smoke,” gazes at her with delight. The other demands why his wrapt soul is sitting in his eyes, and he avows himself the adorer of the veiled fair. “Her eyes,” says he, “are black, but they shine like the polished steel, nor is the wound they inflict less fatal to the heart.” The other swain ridicules his passion, and bids him re-fill his pipe. “Ah, no!” cries the lover, “I enjoy it no more; my heart is as a fig thrown into a thick leafy tree, and a bird with bright eyes has caught it and holds it fast.”

Hearken to the story of Abou Gallioun, the father of the pipe-bowl, and then laugh if you will at the votaries of the marvellous weed. A mountaineer of Lebanon, a man young and tall, and apparently well to do, for his oriental costume was rich and elegant, established himself at Tripoli, in Syria. He resided at an hotel, and astonished every one with a bowl at the end of his pipe stem of enormous dimensions. Some days after his arrival he was seen to seat himself at the corner of a street, to rest the bowl of his pipe on the ground, and to take from his pocket a little tripod and a coffee-pot. Having filled his coffee-pot, he put the tripod upon the bowl of his pipe, and stood his coffee-pot thereon. He then proceeded to smoke, and at the same time to boil the water for his coffee. This sight caused the passers-by to stop, and a crowd collected in the street so as to obstruct the thoroughfare. The police came to clear the passage, and, at the same time, the Pacha was informed of the circumstance, and consulted as to what should be done. The Pacha gave instructions that as the stranger did harm to no one, he was to be allowed to make his coffee in the street, for the street was open to all, hoping that when it rained he would certainly go away. The police were, therefore, ordered to prevent any crowding around the mountaineer, and to take especial care that he received no insult, lest he should then complain to the Emir of the mountain of his ill-treatment. The mountaineer having heard of the instructions of the Pacha, continued to drink his coffee and smoke his pipe as before, in the presence of numbers of curious spectators. This exhibition continued daily, till the news penetrated into the harems, and the women came to see a man make his coffee upon the bowl of his pipe—a thing they had never before heard of, and which, till now, had never occurred.

The mountaineer loved to converse with the passers-by, when he told them that his pipe served him also at home for his baking oven, and that he had no other chafing dish in winter; that he filled the bowl twice a day, in the morning on rising, and in the evening on going to rest, to last him through the night; that he stopped very little, and during the night drank five or six cups of coffee. This stranger was surnamed Abou Gallioun, “father of the pipe-bowl,” and is still known by that name in Tripoli when they speak of him and his extravagance.

In general, the pipe bowls are of a certain size, so that they may last at least a quarter of an hour, and with slow smoking they will last half an hour, The tobacco does not burn rapidly if the smoker does not pull hard—this quiet kind of smoking generally characterizes the grave orientals. Their pipes are seldom extinguished of themselves unless laid down, because the tobaccos of the East have more body than other tobaccos. Abou Gallioun might then always rest assured that his pipe would never go out, although he held long conversations by day, and rose occasionally at night to take his coffee.

Tobacco is stated to have been imported into the Celestial empire by the Mantchoos; and the Chinese were much astonished when they first saw their conquerors inhaling fire through long tubes and “eating smoke.” By a curious coincidence this plant is called by the Mantchoos _tambakou_; but the Chinese designate it simply by the word meaning “smoke.” Thus they say they cultivate in their fields the “smoke-leaf,” they “chew smoke,” and they name their pipe the “smoke-funnel.”

The old proverb that “smoke doth follow the fairest,” is thus commented upon:——“Whereof Sir Thomas Brown says, although there seems no natural ground, yet it is the continuation of a very ancient opinion, as Petrus Victorius and Casaubon have observed from a passage in Athenæus, wherein a Parasite thus describes himself—

‘To every table first I come, Whence Porridge I am called by some; Like whips and thongs to all I ply, Like smoak unto the fair I fly.’”

There is extant in the East, an Arabian tale concerning the Broken Pipe of Saladin, which is taken from an author named Ali-el-Fakir, who lived in the times of Saladin, a tale which is often repeated among smokers in Syria. The Sultan, Salah-el-Din (called by us Saladin), was a great warrior, a lover of the harem, and at the same time pleasant. His court abounded with officers, servants, and slaves. Among his servants, who could best amuse him in his leisure moments, was a simple man to whom he had confided the care of his pipes, and whom he had made his pipe-bearer. All the Sultan’s pipes were of great value, owing to the oriental luxury which prevails in everything, and especially in everything belonging to the Sultan, who is considered the master of the world.

Saladin, in consequence of the climate of the south of Syria, generally passed his time in the gardens of Damascus, luxuriously seated upon rich Persian carpets and soft cushions, under a tree surrounded by his guards, and a numerous band of servants, who promptly obeyed his commands.

Under another tree, not far off, was the coffee-maker, ready to serve his master on the instant, for, like all other orientals, he was fond of this beverage; and Ramadan, the pipe-bearer, was commanded to be at hand, that he might execute his sovereign’s orders.

Between the tree under which the Sultan was reposing, and that under which was the stove of the coffee-maker, stood another tree, to which was tied a watch-dog, who was only let loose at night.

Saladin said to Ramadan—“Take my pipe, fill it, and bring it to me directly.” At that time tobacco was not smoked in the East, instead thereof they used Tè bégh. Ramadan hastened to obey his master, but the dog, not well knowing him, set to barking at him as he passed on his way to the coffee-maker’s stove for the purpose of preparing there the Sultan’s pipe, and in return Ramadan shook his fist at him. When the pipe-bearer came back, the dog, recognizing in him the man who had lately menaced him, not being securely tied, loosened himself and sprang at him. Ramadan used the pipe to defend himself, the dog was beaten back, but the bowl, the stem, and the rich mouth-piece of the pipe were all broken in the encounter.

The facts were related to Saladin, who immediately ordered the dog to be summoned before him. The animal said nothing while Ramadan was continually charging him with the blame. “Thou seest,” said the Sultan, “that the dog appears docile. If thou hadst not threatened or frightened him he would have said nothing to thee. Thou shalt be tied up as the dog was, and the dog shall dwell with me.”

The guards chained up poor Ramadan to the tree where the dog had been fastened, and his appearance was very disconsolate. The dog became the favourite of the Prince, whom he recognized by his natural instinct, and for ever afterwards the Sultan swore by his dog.

The Mussulman delights in comparing the wisdom of this decision with the judgment of Solomon.

The recent remarks of one high in clerical authority, which came to light but too lately to have a more honourable position assigned them, must accordingly be scattered among the fragments. “Heaven forbid,” writes the reverend gentleman, “that I should ever see in England what I have more than once seen in France—a fine and gorgeously arrayed lady, with lavender coloured kid gloves, and a delicate little cigarette between her lips, expectorating in the most refined manner into a polished spittoon, and accompanying her male friends in inhaling the fumes of this noxious weed! No, our ladies have not countenanced the custom by example, but they have fostered it, cherished it, promoted it by their too much good nature, and allowed their husbands, brothers, and sons, and perhaps, their intended husbands, to enjoy their cigars in their presence, and even in their houses.”

“Oh horrible, most horrible!”

Hearken still further. “I don’t scruple to confess that I sat down to the consideration of this subject strongly prejudiced, personally and socially, against this evil practice; but I rise from the examination of the facts of the case surprised at the magnitude of the abomination to which it gives rise. I cordially throw any influence I possess into the scale of those who are labouring to promote the total abolition of the custom among us, and I earnestly entreat all who think with me to exert their utmost efforts to stay the plague.”

King James is dead, poor man, otherwise this worthy Dean, most assuredly, would soon have become a Bishop. How unfortunate a circumstance it is that wise men _will_ be born at a time when the generation who would have appreciated them most, is either extinct or in embryo.

We remember to have once heard an equally estimable clerical gentleman declare that he thought those words of Longfellow’s very descriptive of the effects of his customary “whiff:”——

“And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day, Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, And as silently steal away.”

With a fable of Krummacher’s, let this basket of fragments be filled, and finished—

“The angel of sleep and the angel of death, fraternally embracing each other, wandered over the earth. It was eventide. They laid themselves down beside a hill not far from the habitations of men. A melancholy silence reigned around, and the evening bell of the distant hamlet had ceased.

“Silently and quietly, as is their wont, the two kindly genii of the human race lay in confidential embrace, and night began to steal on.

“Then the angel of sleep rose from his mossy couch, and threw around, with careful hand, the unseen grains of slumber. The evening wind bare them to the quiet dwellings of the wearied husbandmen. Now the feet of sleep embraced the inhabitants of the rural cots, from the hoary headed old man who supported himself on his staff, to the infants in the cradle. The sick forgot their pains, the mourners their griefs, and poverty its cares. All eyes were closed.

“And now, after his task was done, the beautiful angel of sleep lay down again by the side of his sterner brother. When the morning dawn arose, he exclaimed in joyous innocency—‘Men praise me as their friend and benefactor. Oh what a bliss it is, unseen and secretly to befriend them! How happy are we, the invisible messengers of the good God! How lovely is our quiet vocation!’

“Thus spake the friendly angel of sleep. And the angel of death sighed in silent grief; and a tear, such as the immortals shed, trembled in his great dark eye. ‘Alas!’ said he, ‘that I cannot as thou, delight myself with cheerful thanks. Men call me their enemy and pleasure spoiler.’

“‘Oh, my brother,’ rejoined the angel of sleep, ‘will not the good also, when awaking, recognize in thee a friend and benefactor, and thankfully bless thee? Are not we brothers and messengers of one Father?’

“Thus spake he, and the eyes of the angel of death sparkled, and more tenderly did the brotherly genii embrace each other.”

APPENDIX.

TABLE I.

CHRONOLOGY OF TOBACCO.

A.D.

1496 Romanus Paine published the first account of tobacco, under the name _cohoba_.

1519 Tobacco discovered by the Spaniards near Tabasco.

1535 Negroes cultivated it on the plantations of their masters.

” It was used at this time in Canada.

1559 Tobacco introduced into Europe by Hernandez de Toledo.

1565 Conrad Gesner became acquainted with tobacco.

” Sir John Hawkins brought tobacco from Florida.

1570 Tobacco smoked in Holland out of tubes of palm-leaves.

1574 Tobacco cultivated in Tuscany.

1575 First figure of plant in André Thevot’s Cosmographie.

1585 Clay pipes noticed by the English in Virginia.

” First clay pipes made in Europe.

1590 Schah Abbas, of Persia, prohibited the use of tobacco in his empire.

1601 Tobacco introduced into Java. Smoking commenced in Egypt about this time.

1604 James I. laid heavy imposts on tobacco.

1610 Tobacco-smoking known at Constantinople.

1615 Tobacco first grown about Amersfort, in Holland.

1616 The colonists cultivated tobacco in Virginia.

1619 James I. wrote his “Counterblast.”

” Sale of tobacco prohibited in England till the custom should be paid, and the royal seal affixed.

1620 Ninety young women sent from England to America, and sold to the planters for tobacco at 120 lbs. each.

1622 Annual import of tobacco into England from America, 142,085 lbs.

1624 The Pope excommunicated all who should take snuff in church. King James restricted the culture of tobacco to Virginia and the Somer Isles.

1631 Tobacco-smoking introduced into Misnia.

1634 A tribunal formed at Moscow to punish smoking.

1639 The Assembly of Virginia ordered that all tobacco planted in that and the succeeding two years should be destroyed.

1653 Smoking commenced at Appenzell (canton) in Switzerland.

1661 The police regulations of Berne made, and divided according to the ten commandments, in which tobacco was prohibited.

1669 Adultery and fornication punished in Virginia by a fine of 500 to 1000 lbs. of tobacco.

1670 Smoking tobacco punished in the canton of Glarus by fines.

1676 Customs on tobacco from Virginia collected in England, £120,000.

” Two Jews attempt the cultivation of tobacco in Brandenburg.

1689 Dr. J. F. Vicarius invented tubes containing pieces of sponge for smoking tobacco.

1691 Pope Innocent XII. excommunicated all who used tobacco in St. Peter’s Church at Rome.

1697 Large quantities of tobacco produced in the palatinate of Hesse.

1709 Exports of tobacco from America, 28,858,666 lbs.

1719 Senate of Strasburg prohibited the culture of tobacco.

1724 Pope Benedict XIV. revoked Pope Innocent’s Bull of excommunication.

1732 Tobacco made a legal tender in Maryland, at one penny per lb.

1747 Annual exports of tobacco to England from the American colonies, 40,000,000 lbs.

1753 The King of Portugal farmed out the tobacco trade for about £500,000.

” The revenue of the King of Spain from tobacco, £1,250,000.

1759 Duties on tobacco in Denmark amounted to £8,000.

1770 Empress of Austria derived an income of £160,000 from tobacco.

1773 Duties on tobacco in the two Sicilies, £80,000.

1775 Annual export of tobacco from the United States 1,000,000 lbs.

1780 King of France derived an income of £1,500,000 from tobacco.

1782 Annual export of tobacco during the seven years revolutionary war, 12,378,504 lbs.

1787 Tobacco imported into Ireland, 1,877,579 lbs.

1789 Exports of tobacco from the United States, 90,000,000 lbs.

” Tobacco first put under the excise in England.

1820 Quantity of tobacco grown in France, 32,887,500 lbs.

1828 Tobacco revenue in the State of Maryland, £5,400.

1830 Revenue from tobacco and snuff in Great Britain was 2¼ millions of pounds.

1834 Value of tobacco used in the United States estimated at £3,000,000.

1838 Annual consumption of tobacco in the United States estimated at 100,000,000 lbs.

1840 It was ascertained that 1,500,000 persons were engaged in the cultivation and manufacture of tobacco in the United States.

TABLE II.

CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO.

——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+—————————————— | Average consump. | COUNTRIES. | of male population | Nett Revenue | per head, over 18 | from Tobacco. | years of age. | ——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+—————————————— Austria | 6·75 lbs. | £1,212,530 Zollverein | 9·75 ” | 296,560 Steurverein, including Hanover } | 12·50 ” | 12,420 and Oldenburg } | | France | 5·50 ” | 3,058,356 Russia | 2·50 ” | 284,280 Portugal | 3·50 ” | 304,140 Spain | 4·75 ” | 1,268,082 Sardinia | 2·75 ” | 246,192 Tuscany | 2·50 ” | 84,860 Papal States | 2·00 ” | 297,252 Two Sicilies | ... | 168,422 Britain | 4·10 ” | 5,272,471 Holland | 8·25 ” | 6,210 Belgium | 9·00 ” | 28,014 Denmark | 8·00 ” | 10,488 Sweden | 4·37 ” | 14,766 Norway | 6·40 ” | 23,322 United States | 7·60 ” | ... ——————————————————————————————————+————————————————————+——————————————

TABLE III.

DUTIES ON IMPORTATION OF TOBACCO.

United States 30· per cent. ad valorem. Belgium 13·9 do. Great Britain 933·3 do. Hanover 9·6 do. Holstein 10· do. Holland 3·5 do. Russia 161· do. Switzerland 3· do. Zollverein 45· do.

TABLE IV.

Nett Profits of the French Regie on Tobacco, after paying all expenses of purchase, transportation, manufacture, and sale. Showing the increased consumption, in decennial periods, from 1811 to 1851.

——————————————————————-+——————————- Years. | Francs. ——————————————————————-+——————————- 1811 | 26,000,000 1821 | 42,219,604 1831 | 45,920,930 1841 | 71,989,095 1851 | 92,233,729 Total gross revenue } | in 1857 } |185,000,000 ——————————————————————-+——————————-

TABLE V.

Consumption of Tobacco in Britain, with rate of Duty and Revenue therefrom.

——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- Years.| Consumption. | Duty. | Revenue. |Population. ——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- 1821 |15,598,152 lbs. |4s. per lb. |£3,122,583 |21,282,903 1831 |19,533,841 ” |3s. ” | 2,964,592 |24,410,459 1841 |22,309,360 ” |3s. ” | 3,580,163 |27,019,672 1851 |28,062,978 ” |3s. ” | 4,485,768 |27,452,262 1856 |32,579,166 ” |3s. ” | 5,216,770 | [39] 1857 |32,677,059 ” |3s. ” | 5,231,455 | [39] 1858 |34,110,850 ” |3s. ” | 5,272,471 | [39] ——————+————————————————+————————————+———————————+———————————- [39] Owing to extensive emigration, especially from Ireland, the population must be considered as but little above that of 1851.

TABLE VI.

Consumption of Tobacco in the Austrian Empire.

——————+—————————————————— Years.|Quantity consumed. ——————+—————————————————— 1850 | 34,457,513 lbs. 1851 | 54,217,578 ” 1852 | 61,805,697 ” 1853 | 57,926,925 ” 1854 | 62,020,333 ” 1856 | 85,161,030 ” ——————+——————————————————

TABLE VII.

Statement exhibiting the quantities of Tobacco exported from the United States into the countries named, during 1855.

TABLE VIII.

Disposition of Tobacco the growth of the United States in 1840 and in 1850, with the Home Consumption at each period.

——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+—————————— Years.| Growth. | Exports. | Consumption. | Rate pr. | | | | Head. ——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+—————————— 1840 |219,163,319 lbs.|184,965,797 lbs.|34,543,557 lbs.|32½ oz. 1850 |199,532,494 ” |122,408,780 ” |81,933,571 ” |56 ” ——————+————————————————+————————————————+——————————————-+——————————

TABLE IX.

Statement showing the Exports of Tobacco from America (United States) in decennial periods, from 1820 to 1850, and in 1855.

——————+—————————————————— Years.|Quantity exported. ——————+—————————————————— 1820 | 66,000 hogsheads. 1830 | 83,810 ” 1840 |119,484 ” 1850 |145,729 ” 1855 |150,213 ” ——————+——————————————————

TABLE X.

ANALYSIS OF TOBACCO BY POSSELT & REINMANN.

Nicotina 0·06 Concrete vegetable oil 0·01 Bitter extractive 2·87 Gum, with malate of lime 1·74 Chlorophylle 0·267 Albumen and gluten 1·308 Malic acid 0·51 Lignin and a trace of starch 4·969 Salts (sulphate, nitrate, and malate of } potash, chloride of potassium, phosphate } 0·734 and malate of lime, and malate of ammonia)} Silica 0·088 Water 88·280 ——————- Fresh leaves of tobacco 100·836 =======

TABLE XI.

Return showing the quantity of Chests of Opium exported by the East India Company between 1846 and 1858.

——————————+——————————————- Years. | No. of Chests.[40] ——————————+——————————————- 1846-47 | 22,468 1847-48 | 22,879 1848-49 | 33,073 1849-50 | 35,919 1850-51 | 32,033 1851-52 | 31,259 1852-53 | 35,521 1853-54 | 42,403 1854-55 | 49,979 1855-56 | 49,399 1856-57 | 66,305 1857-58 | 68,004 ——————————+——————————————-

TABLE XII.

Amount of Income derived by the East India Company from the Opium Monopoly.

————————+—————————— Years. | Amount. ————————+—————————— 1840-41 | £874,277 1841-42 | 1,018,765 1842-43 | 1,577,581 1843-44 | 2,024,826 1844-45 | 2,181,288 1845-46 | 2,803,350 1846-47 | 2,886,201 1847-48 | 1,698,252 1848-49 | 2,845,762 1849-50 | 3,309,637 1850-51 | 3,043,135 1851-52 | 3,139,247 1852-53 | 3,717,932 1853-54 | 3,359,019 1854-55 | 3,333,601 1855-56 | 3,961,975 1856-57 | 3,860,390 1857-58 | 5,918,375 ————————+——————————

TABLE XIII.

OPIUM STATISTICS OF GREAT BRITAIN.

——————+————————————+———————————— Years.| Imports. |Consumption. ——————+————————————+———————————— 1826 | 79,829 lbs.| 28,329 lbs. 1827 |113,140 ” | 17,322 ” 1830 |209,076 ” | 22,668 ” 1833 |106,846 ” | 35,407 ” 1836 |130,794 ” | 38,943 ” 1839 |196,247 ” | 41,632 ” 1842 | 72,373 ” | 47,432 ” 1845 |259,644 ” | 38,229 ” 1848 |200,019 ” | 61,055 ” 1849 |105,724 ” | 44,177 ” 1850 |126,318 ” | 42,324 ” 1851 |118,024 ” | 50,682 ” 1852 |205,780 ” | 62,521 ” 1853 |159,312 ” | 67,038 ” 1854 | 97,427 ” | 61,432 ” 1855 | 50,143 ” | 34,473 ” 1856 | 51,479 ” | 38,609 ” 1857 |136,423 ” | 56,174 ” 1858 | 82,085 ” | 77,639 ” ——————+————————————+————————————

TABLE XIV.

ANALYSIS OF OPIUM, BY MULDER.

Morphia 10·842 4·106 Narcotina 6·808 8·150 Codeia 0·678 0·834 Narceine 6·662 7·506 Meconine 0·804 0·846 Meconic acid 5·124 3·968 Fat 2·166 1·350 Caoutchouc 6·012 5·026 Resin 3·582 2·028 Gummy extractive 25·200 31·470 Gum 1·042 2·896 Mucus 19·086 17·098 Water 9·846 12·226 Loss 2·148 2·496 ——————— ——————— Total 100·000 100·000 ======= =======

TABLE XV.

PRISONERS SENTENCED BY THE POLICE TO THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION AT SINGAPORE.

——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+ | Quantity of | Number of | | | Class. |Opium consumed| years | Trade. | Monthly | | daily. | habituated. | | Wages. | ——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+ | Grains. | | | s. d. | 1 Chinaman| 60 | 10 |Cooly | 16 0 | 2 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 3 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 4 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 5 ” | 180 | 10 |Planter | ... | 6 ” | 90 | 12 | ... | ... | 7 ” | 60 | 20 |Cooly | 16 0 | 8 ” | 180 | 7 |Planter | 12 0 | 9 ” | 90 | 6 | ... | 20 0 | 10 ” | 60 | 20 |Cooly | 16 0 | 11 ” | 48 | 4 |Cooly | 16 0 | 12 ” | 300 to 350 | 16 |Planter | ... | 13 ” | 30 | 10 |Cooly | 16 0 | 14 ” | 90 | 6 | ... | 16 0 | 15 ” | 60 | 16 |Cooly | 16 0 | 16 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 17 ” | 24 | 9 |Cooly | 16 0 | 18 ” | 60 to 180 | 30 | ... | 20 0 | 19 ” | 36 | 5 | ... |24s. to 30s.| 20 ” | 30 | 5 | ... | 16 0 | 21 ” | 60 | 12 | ... | 16 0 | 22 ” | 48 | 5 |Cooly | 12 0 | 23 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 24 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 25 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 26 ” | 60 | 15 | ... | 16 0 | 27 ” | Does not smoke. | ... | 28 ” | 36 | 6 | ... | 12 0 | 29 ” | 48 | 5 |Shopkeeper| ... | ——————————-+——————————————+————————————-+——————————+————————————+

————+————————————————+——————————————————————————————————————————————— | | | Value of Opium | Appearances. | smoked monthly.| ————+————————————————+——————————————————————————————————————————————— | £ s. d. | 1 | 1 4 0 |Heavy, listless, but not sleepy. 2 | ... |Looks well and fat. 3 | ... |Looks well, but not stout. 4 | ... |Looks well. 5 | 3 12 0 |Looks well; given up smoking; drinks Tinco in | | arrack. 6 | 1 10 0 |Sickly, with cough. 7 | 1 4 0 |Sickly, thin, and miserable looking. 8 | 3 12 0 |Sick and herpetic. 9 | 1 10 0 |Sickly looking, and complains. 10 | 1 4 0 |Thin, sickly; complains of pain in the stomach. 11 | 0 16 4 |Yellow, sickly; pain in the abdomen. 12 | £6 to £7 |Thin, sickly; complains of cough. 13 | 0 12 0 |Complains of pain in abdomen. 14 | 1 10 0 |Thin, but not sickly. 15 | 1 4 0 |Thin, cough, and sickly. 16 | ... | 17 | 0 10 0 |Complains of pain in abdomen; does not look | | sickly. 18 |24s. to £3 12 0 |Sickly looking; does not complain. 19 | 0 12 0 |Diarrhœa, and complains. 20 | 0 8 0 |Complains, but does not look sickly. 21 | 1 4 0 |Complains, but does not look sickly. 22 | 1 0 0 |Looks sickly, and complains. 23 | ... |Looks sickly. 24 | ... |Looks well. 25 | ... |Looks well. 26 | 1 4 0 |Complains much, being without chandu. 27 | ... |Looks well. 28 | 0 15 0 |Pale, sickly looking; complains much. 29 | 1 0 0 |Thin and sickly. ————+————————————————+————————————————————————————————————————————————

Besides which, there were 15 men in the hospital, of whom all smoked but one.

TABLE XVI.

OPIUM CONSUMED BY FIFTEEN PERSONS FROM THE PAUPER HOSPITAL, SINGAPORE.

——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+———————————————————————————— |Quantity| | | |of Opium| Years |Monthly|Excess of expenditure over |consumed|habituated.| Wages.| income. |daily. | | | ——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+———————————————————————————— |Grains. | | s. d.| s. d. 1 | 36 | 7 | 11 6 | 5 8 excess 2 | 36 | 3 | 8 0 | 6 6 ” 3 | 24 | 5 | 8 0 | 1 8 ” 4 | 36 | 8 | 12 0 | 2 6 ” 5 | 42 | 20 | 16 0 | 0 10 ” 6 | 30 | 10 | 10 0 | 2 1 ” 7 | 24 | 7 | 8 0 | 1 8 ” 8 | 30 | 10 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal 9 | 24 | 5 | 8 0 | 1 8 excess 10 | 30 | 10 | 8 0 | 4 0 ” 11 | 30 | 8 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal 12 | 36 | 10 | 12 0 | 2 6 excess 13 | 30 | 15 | 12 0 |Income and expenditure equal 14 | 30 | 25 | 12 0 | ” ” 15 | 42 | 22 | 12 0 | 4 10 excess ——-+————————+——————————-+——————-+————————————————————————————

TABLE XVII.

REPORTS OF OPIUM-SMOKING IN CHINA.

In the Chung-wan (centre bazaar) there are about 5,800 inhabitants.

The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 2,600.

The number that smoke opium are upwards of 300.

In the Hah-wan (Canton bazaar) there are upwards of 1,200 inhabitants.

The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 600.

The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100.

The number that died for cause of smoking opium very few.

(Signed) CHUNG-WAN & HAH-WAN TEAPOA’S REPORT.

_Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ (_December 29th, 1855_).

The number of male residents at Sheong-wan are estimated as following:——

This year have ascertained the number of male residents are 13,000.

There are 3,000 opium-smokers; 300 smoke 8 mace a-day; 700 smoke 5 mace each day; 1,000 smoke 3 mace each day; the rest smoke 1 mace, more or less.

The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 4,000.

The number that got sick for cause of opium-smoking went home, and did not die here.

(Signed) TEAPOA OF SHEONG-WAN TONG CHEW’S REPORT.

_Dated December 29th, 1855._

* * * * *

By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Tai-ping-Shan.

There are upwards of 5,300 men.

The number that smoke opium because they like it are upwards of 1,200.

The number that smoke opium are upwards of 600.

The number that died for cause of opium-smoking very few.

(Signed) TAI-PING-SHAN TEAPOA’S REPORT.

_Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ (_December 29th, 1855_).

* * * * *

By order, have ascertained that in Wan-tsai there are upwards of 1,600 inhabitants.

Those that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 500 men.

Those that smoke opium are upwards of 200 men.

Those that died for cause of smoking opium, none.

(Signed) WAN-TSAI TEAPOA’S REPORT.

_Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ (_December 29th, 1855_).

* * * * *

By order, have ascertained that in Wang-nai-choon there are upwards of 200 men.

The number that smoke opium are upwards of 10 men.

The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are few only.

The number that died for cause of smoking opium, very few.

(Signed) WANG-NAI-CHOON TEAPOA’S REPORT.

_Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ (_December 29th, 1855_).

* * * * *

By order, have ascertained the number of inhabitants of Ting-loong-chow (east point).

There are upwards of 2,500 inhabitants.

The number that smoke opium merely because they like it are upwards of 300.

The number that smoke opium are upwards of 100.

(Signed) TING-LOONG-CHOW TEAPOA’S REPORT.

_Dated Yuet-man year, 11th month, 20th day_ (_December 29th, 1855_).

TABLE XVIII.

Professor Johnston’s estimate of the number of persons indulging in the Seven principal Narcotics of the world.

Tobacco 800,000,000 Opium 400,000,000 Hemp 200,000,000 to 300,000,000 Betel 100,000,000 Coca 10,000,000 Thorn-Apple (no estimate) Less than Coca. Amanita ” ”

TABLE XIX.

SYNOPSIS OF NARCOTICS, WITH THEIR SUBSTITUTES.

I.——TOBACCO.

——————————————————+——————————————————————————+————————————-+————————— | |Where used or| How Vulgar Name. | Botanical Name. | cultivated. | used. ——————————————————+——————————————————————————+————————————-+————————— Virginian tobacco |Nicotiana tabacum |U. States |Smoked & chewed Orinoko ” | ” macrophylla | ... | ” European ” | ” rustica |Europe | ” Javanese ” | ” ” var |Java |Smoked. Billah ” | ” ” var Asiatica |Malwa | ” Guzerat ” | ” ” var |Guzerat | ” Chinese ” | ” ” var Chinensis |China | ” Thibetian ” | ” ” var |Thibet | ” Persian ” | ” Persica |Persia | ” Latakia ” | ” ” var |Syria | ” Djiddar ” | ” crispa | ” | ” Indian ” | ” quadrivalvis |N. America | ” ” | ” multivalvis | ” | ” ” ” | ” nana |Rocky Mts. | ” Cuban ” | ” repanda |Cuba | ” Columbian ” | ” loxensis |America | ” Brazilian ” | ” glauca |Brazil | ” Peruvian ” | ” andicola |Andes | ” Coltsfoot leaves |Tussilago farfar |Europe |Smok’d for tobacco Yarrow ” |Achillœa millefolium | ” | ” Rhubarb ” |Rheum emodi, &c. |Himalayas | ” Bogbean ” |Menyanthes trifoliata |Britain | ” Sage ” |Salvia officinalis |Europe | ” Mountain tobacco |Arnica montana |Switzerland | ” Black holly |Ilex vomitoria |N. America | ” Stag’s horn sumach|Rhus typhina |Mississippi | ” Copal sumach |Rhus copallina | ” | ” Water lily leaves |Nelumbium speciosum |China |Mix’d with tobacco Pucha-pat |Marrubium odoratissimum |India |Mix’d with tobacco Tombeki |Lobelia sp. |E. Asia |Smoked as tobacco Indian tobacco |Lobelia inflata |N. America | ” Maize husks |Zea Mays |U. States |Patented for cigars Birch bark |Betula excelsa |N. Brunswck |Mix’d with tobacco Willow leaves |Salix sp. |N. America |Smoked as tobacco Bearberry leaves |Arctostasphylus uva-ursi |Chenook Ind. |Mix’d with tobacco Pimento berries |Eugenia pimento |W. Indies |Smoked Cascarilla bark |Croton eleuteria | ” |Mix’d with tobacco Polygonum leaves |Polygonum hispida |S. America |Smoked Camphor leaves |Tarchonanthus camphoratus |Cape | ” Wild dagga |Leonotis leonurus | ” | ” ... |Leonotis ovata | ” | ” Culen |Psoralea glandulosa |Mauritius | ” Purphiok |Tupistra sp. |Sikkim |Mix’d with tobacco Camomile flowers |Anthemis nobilis |Britain | ” Beet leaves |Beta vulgaris |France |Recommended as substitute Akel | ... |Algeria |Mix’d with tobacco Trouna | ... | ” | ” Kauw goed |Mesembryanthemum tortuosum|Cape |Chewed Angelica root |Archangelica officinalis |Lapland | ” Monkey bread leaves |Adansonia digitata |W. Africa |Snuffed. Rhododendron leaves |Rhododendron campanulatum |India |Snuffed. Brown dust of petioles of |Kalmia and Rhododendron sp.| N. America | ” Asarabacca |Asarum Europœum |Europe | ” Grimstone’s eye }|Various plants |Britain | ” snuff }| | | Various indigenous|plants |Erzegebirge | ” Woodruff |Asperula odorata |Britain |Mixed with snuff. Amadou ashes |Polyporus igniarius |Kamtschatka |Snuffed.

II.——OPIUM.

III.——HEMP.

Gunjah and Bang |Cannabis indica |India, Africa|Smoked, &c. Churrus (resin) | ” |Nepaul, &c. | ” Powdered dacca }| ” |S. W. Africa.|Snuffed. and aloes }| | |

IV.——BETEL.

V.——COCA.

Coca leaves |Erythroxylon coca |Peru |Masticatory

VI.——THORN-APPLE.

VII.——AMANITA.

Fly agaric |Amanita muscaria |Siberia |Swallowed. ——————————————————+——————————————————————————+—————————-+————————————

M’CORQUODALE & CO., PRINTERS, LONDON—WORKS, NEWTON.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The learned in the lore of ancient Rome may charge us, if they will, with a grievous wrong in considering Sleep as one of the softer sex, inasmuch as Somnus was one of the elder of the “_lords_ of the creation.” We confess to an inclination towards the “_ladies_ of the creation;” and in this matter especially

“We have a vision of our own, And why should we undo it?”

[2] A correspondent of the _Medical Times_ having asked for authentic instances of the hair becoming grey within the space of one night, Mr. D. F. Parry, Staff-Surgeon at Aldershott, transmitted the following account, of which he made memorandum shortly after its occurrence. “On February 19, 1858, the column under General Franks, in the south of Oude, was engaged with a rebel force at the village of Chamda, and several prisoners were taken. One of them, a sepoy of the Bengal army, was brought before the authorities for examination, and I, being present, had an opportunity of watching from the commencement the fact I am about to record. Divested of his uniform, and stripped completely naked, he was surrounded by the soldiers, and then first apparently became alive to the danger of his position; he trembled violently, intense horror and despair were depicted in his countenance, and although he answered all the questions addressed to him, he seemed almost stupified with fear; while actually under observation, within the space of half-an-hour, his hair became grey on every portion of his head, it having been, when first seen by me, the glossy jet black of the Bengalee, aged about twenty-four. The attention of the bystanders was first attracted by the serjeant, whose prisoner he was, exclaiming, ‘He is turning grey;’ and I, with several other persons, watched its progress. Gradually, but decidedly, the change went on, and a uniform greyish colour was completed within the period above named.”

[3] Herod., lib. iv. cap. 74-75.

[4] Ib., lib. i. cap. 202.

[5] The Ansayrii and the Assassins, by the Hon. F. Walpole.

[6] “Ex illo sane tempore [tabacum] usu cepit esse creberrimo in Angliâ, et magno pretio dum quam plurimi graveolentem illius fumum per tubulum testaceum hauriunt et mox e naribus effiant; adeo ut Anglorum corporum in barbarorum naturam degenerasse videantur quum iidem ac barbari delectentur.”——CAMDEN, _Annal. Elizab._, p. 143. (1585.)

[7] Squier’s “Nicaragua.”

[8] Edwards’ “Voyage up the Amazon.”

[9] Bentley’s Magazine.

[10] For the art of making tobacco pipes of clay, the Dutch are indebted to this country, in proof of which, Mr. Hollis, who passed through the Netherlands in 1748, states that the master of the Gouda Pipe Works informed him, that, to that day, the principal working tools bore English names.

[11] Catlin’s North American Indians, vol. ii., p. 160.

[12] Tooke says “SNUFF is the past participle of to _sniff_, that which is _sniffed_.”

[13] Lord Stanhope makes the following curious estimate:——“Every professed, inveterate, and incurable snuff-taker, at a moderate computation, takes one pinch in ten minutes. Every pinch, with the agreeable ceremony of blowing and wiping the nose, and other incidental circumstances, consumes a minute and a half. One minute and a half out of every ten, allowing sixteen hours to a snuff-taking day, amounts to two hours and twenty minutes out of every natural day, or one day out of every ten. One day out of every ten amounts to thirty-six days and a half in the year; hence, if we suppose the practice to be persisted in for forty years, two entire years of the snuff-taker’s life will be dedicated to tickling his nose, and two more to blowing it.” The expense of snuff, snuff-boxes, and handkerchiefs, is also alluded to; and it is calculated that “by a proper application of the time and money thus lost to the public, a fund might be constituted for the discharge of the national debt.”

[14] Curiosities of Food, by P. L. Simmonds. Bentley, 1859.

[15] Tobacco entered for home consumption—

1856 1857 1858 32,579,166 lbs. 32,851,365 lbs. 34,110,850 lbs. Total 99,541,381 lbs.—or 44,438 tons.

[16] Tea entered for home consumption in—

1856 1857 1858 63,295,643 lbs. 69,159,640 lbs. 73,217,483 lbs.

[17] _Mesembryanthemum tortuosum_, Linn.

[18] _Rhus typhina._

[19] “The tree Tooba that stands in Paradise, in the palace of Mahomet.”——_Sale._ “Tooba signifies beatitude or eternal happiness.”——_D’Herbelot._

[20] See Table XV. in the Appendix.

[21] Dr. Hobson states, in an official communication to the Government, “I do not know of any mortal disease from opium corresponding to _delirium tremens_ from alcohol. I have never been called to attend to any accidents resulting from opium similar to those occurring so frequently from habits of intoxication from liquor. The opium-smoker, when under the full influence of his delicious drug, brawls and swaggers not in the public streets, like a drunkard, to the annoyance of bystanders, but reposes quietly on his couch, without molesting those around him.”

Also Dr. Traill, of Singapore, from his own experience, has not found opium-smoking in any way so powerful a promoter of disease as the habitual use of intoxicating liquors.

[22] Dr. Doran says that a salad was so scarce an article during the early part of the last century, that George I. was obliged also to send to Holland to procure a lettuce for his queen. These vegetables must, therefore, have become unpopular before that time, or the cultivation had been for some cause discontinued, otherwise we cannot reconcile this with the fact that lettuces were common enough a century before a George sate upon the English throne.

[23] Von Hammer’s History of the Assassins.

[24] “Dublin Quarterly Journal of Medical Science.”

[25] Dr. Daniell in “Pharmaceutical Journal.”

[26]

1850—1,734 candies. 1851—1,983 candies. 1852—2,953 candies. 1853—2,073 candies. 1854—1,954 candies. The candy is 433½ lbs.

[27] There is a stick of this kind in the Museum of Economic Botany at Kew Gardens.

[28] The stem and roots of long pepper, cut in pieces and dried under the name of _Pipula moola_, are exposed for sale in all the bazaars of India, but these are not used with the areca nut, nor are the leaves applied to that purpose.

[29] From _cate_ a tree, and _chu_ juice.

[30] Neale’s Residence in Siam.

[31] Why are ladies who indulge in this habit universally described as _elderly_ ladies?

[32] This name, derived from the Greek, indicates _strong_, _powerful_.

[33] “Edinburgh Medical Journal,” 1857.

[34] The potato, the tomato, and egg plant possess, when uncooked, in a mild degree, the properties of the nightshade, the stramonium, and the henbane, confirming the remark of De Candolle “that all our aliments contain a small proportion of an exciting principle, which, should it occur in a much greater quantity, might become injurious, but which is necessary as a natural condiment.” In fact, when food does not contain some stimulating principle, we add it in the form of spices.

[35] Another fanciful origin for the name, which signifies “beautiful woman,” is, that it was bestowed in consequence of the use once made of its berries by the Italian ladies as a cosmetic.

[36] “Similia similibus curantur.”

[37] “Journ. de Chim. Méd.,” 1839, p. 322.

[38] “Archives Gén. de Méd.,” t. xi., p. 94.

[40] Each Chest of Opium contains about 140 lbs.